Legal Information Notice: This checklist provides general educational information only. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and may not apply to your jurisdiction or circumstances. Laws and deadlines vary. Do not rely on this checklist for a specific legal decision or deadline; consult a qualified attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.
“Environmental liability can begin with a property, permit, discharge, waste stream or regulatory violation you didn’t realize mattered.”
EPA’s current enforcement framework covers air, water, waste, chemical and cleanup enforcement, with both civil and criminal enforcement programs.
25 Buyer-Beware Warnings
- ☐ Identify applicable environmental permits.
- ☐ Identify regulated activities.
- ☐ Review historical site use.
- ☐ Review contamination history.
- ☐ Review waste handling.
- ☐ Review discharge issues.
- ☐ Review air-emission requirements.
- ☐ Review hazardous-material handling.
- ☐ Review reporting obligations.
- ☐ Preserve environmental records.
- ☐ Preserve permits.
- ☐ Preserve inspection reports.
- ☐ Preserve agency correspondence.
- ☐ Don’t ignore notices of violation.
- ☐ Don’t assume cleanup responsibility is simple.
- ☐ Identify federal requirements.
- ☐ Identify state requirements.
- ☐ Identify local requirements.
- ☐ Review property transactions.
- ☐ Review indemnities.
- ☐ Verify environmental counsel experience.
- ☐ Understand remediation exposure.
- ☐ Model potential compliance costs.
- ☐ Track regulatory deadlines.
- ☐ Don’t wait until an enforcement action becomes unavoidable.
EPA provides public compliance and enforcement data through systems including ECHO, which covers inspection, violation and enforcement information for numerous environmental statutes.